Pages

Monday, September 30, 2013

I discovered Hipanema at the ENKCircuit/Intermezzo show I attended in August. I was drawn to the brand’s booth
from an aisle away, its brilliant colors radiating and sparkling stones, well,
sparkling. I thought I was over friendship bracelets, but I was wrong. Hipanema showed me that
friendship bracelets aren’t just a trend (well, not from this brand) but a new,
here-to-stay genre of jewelry that can be intricately and beautifully woven in
eye-popping palettes, for a look that’s bohemian yet modern and impossibly
cool. And when you add unique embellishments like pearls and seashells like
Hipanema does? Pow. Glamour – but casual, wear-everywhere glamour. I was sold
on Hipanema’s color-pop, cool, effortlessly glamorous approach and how they
made something I previously thought trendy actually quite timeless. These are
accessories you can wear forever, always reinventing your look.

Hipanema
was created by designers Delphine Crech’riou and Jenny Collinet after the two
met in Rio and decided to bring Brazil’s free-spirited chic to the States in
the form of swimwear and bracelets. They say the collection is “European-inspired,
with the flair of South American sensibility and versatile luxury.” And learning
that each bracelet is handcrafted with 32 hours of work confirmed my instant
thought that these bracelets are different from any other and true investment
pieces. You can find these amazing bracelets, prices $58 to $118 so you can get
one or a stack, as well as the vibrant swimwear at HipanemaUSA.com, Henri
Bendel, Bloomingdales, Shopbop and about 400 brick-and-mortar stores throughout
the United States. Get shopping and color-popping, people.

Friday, September 27, 2013

This week has been crazy - my schedule has been packed with
events, dinners and parties, plus getting up at the crack of dawn to meet my
trainer at the gym. I am exhausted! So, I am obviously, slathering on the eye
cream to make up for my lack of sleep. This week I had to whip out emerginC's Lighten-Up Under-Eye Circle Fighter. The super potent and ingredients
cause my dark circles to disappear. It has topical lighteners and skin
strengtheners to really make a difference. I knew it was a must-have after
using it once and seeing an immediately drastic difference. Now I am totally ready for more late nights!

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

I found this A-FREAKING-MAZING skirt at the Opening Ceremony sample sale, it's Rodarte for Opening Ceremony and it has a FURNITURE PRINT, y'all. It was very Mary-Katrantzou-first-collection to me. And I love the drama of its length made effortlessly wearable by its high front slits. I had to tailor it to be about three feet shorter - which I did by myself, woot! I'm sure it'll fall apart soon and I'll have to take it to a professional, but for now...I've been playing around with tops, either downplaying the print with a classic white top, or clashing it with something a bit different like this vintage Megadeath tee.

When it comes to cringe-y moments, falling over in public is up there with getting locked in a friend's toilet and spilling food down yourself at a fancy dinner. We've all been there, so have a little sympathy for celebs whose fantastic face plants will soon be spread over the internet for all to see. Check out our list of the worst celebrity falls, and pick up some tips on how to style out a stumble. Start by avoiding similar disasters in style with a classy pair of flat boots.

(Image from ABCnews.com)

Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Oscars

Winning the Best Actress Academy Award is probably the greatest moment in any actress' career, and J-Law made hers particularly memorable when she tripped on the way to claim the prestigious statuette. The 22-year-old laughed it off with grace and even made fun of her clumsiness in her acceptance speech, making us love her that little bit more.

(Image from ABCnews.com)

Jennifer Lopez at the 2009 American Music Awards

J-Lo's big comeback performance was her chance to remind us all of the slick dance moves that we'd been missing. This plan was potentially jeopardised when she landed pretty hard on that famous behind of hers. A cynic might suggest that it was too soon to try jumping off a topless model's back, but to her credit, she got right up and carried on dancing in those mega-high heels like it never happened! What a pro...

(Image from CultureBully.com)

Beyoncé on tour

Queen Bey’s fabulous hairdo famously got the better of her during a performance of 'Ring the Alarm', when she delivered a full-on tumble down a flight of twelve steps. And that's not the only time the bootylicious singer has fallen on stage – in 2010 she slipped at a show in Brazil, and just about managed to prevent herself from sliding straight into the crowd. Bey may be a pro when it comes to performing in heels, but it’s nice to know that she’s not immune from embarrassing moments!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

I needed a birthday gift for a friend who has everything.
What was I left to do? Obviously make her a gift. I needed something cute, yet
practical. So I went to the craft store for some inspiration and supplies.

I purchased a plain wood photo box at the craft store. The
top of the box is glass, but you could also use an all wood box for this
project.

I started by using a screwdriver to remove all of the metal
pieces.

I painted the outside of the box white (except for the
glass) and painted the inside purple.

Once the paint was dry, I use to screwdriver to replace all
of the metal pieces.

I purchased a strong glue and flat backed, blue, glass
marbles. Applying a dot of glue to each stone, I started gluing the stones onto
the glass.

I glued different sizes and colored stones randomly across
the top of the box.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

There are weird trends every season, things you wouldn't expect. But lately, the trends seem to be stretching beyond fashion. Maybe designers and tastemakers have grown bored with all things conventionally fashion-related, and they're getting resourceful. A lot of looks seem to be pulled from the closet of your jock brother or German tourist friend. Are the trends just refreshingly unconventional or just plain weird? You be the judge.These:

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

I am, as always,
doing some redecorating of my apartment. I decided to make my own (super girly)
dream catcher to hang by my bed.

Items you will need:
Circle hoop (I used a wood, cross stitch frame)
String (The more colors, the more fun!)
Beads
Feathers
Glue (Easiest if you use a hot glue gun)

I started by using a
pink string to tie a knot around the hoop, and then applied a dot of glue to
hold it in place.

I zig-zagged the
string around the hoop; using dots of glue to hold it in place so it didn't
slip. After a few wraps I started adding beads.

I continued until I
was satisfied with the center of the dream catcher.

Next, I used a
shimmery blue string to start wrapping the outside of the hoop.

I thought it would be
cute to do the blue string three quarters around the hoop and then switch to a
shimmery yellow. (FYI I ran out of blue string didn't it come out cute though?)

I bought some pastel
colored feathers at the craft store. I added a dot of glue to the tip of the
feather and used a shimmery green string to wrap the tip of the feather.

I strung some cheap
pearl beads, (purchased from a craft store) to the string attached to the
feathers. Finally, I used
another dot of glue to secure the green string to the hoop and then kept each
string (attached to the feathers) a different length.

Monday, September 23, 2013

You know my thoughts on accessories. They make or break your look. Without them, the most extravagant outfit is boring, with them, even the most boring outfit is suddenly incredibly chic - and it's totally effortless. Especially with a great scarf. That t-shirt's not just a t-shirt, that jacket's not just a jacket with a great scarf. Its texture and pattern will make your outfit instantly curated and street style star-worthy. This is why I love Sheila Johnson. Her scarves are stunning. At $395, they're investment pieces but just that - an investment because you will literally have, love and wear them forever. The price is justified when it's something you can use to transform your look everyday, season after season. Plus, proceeds from sales benefit the Lady Salamanders, the women's division of Street Soccer USA.

Sheila Johnson just relaunched her site, just in time for her fall 2013 collection, Vérité.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Today my skin looks great because I used MDSolarSciences Evening
Facial Repair Serum last night. Daily sun exposure wreaks havoc on your skin,
this serum helps to repair that. My skin is brighter and more even this morning
because of it. Not to mention it includes Retinol, green tea extract and
chamomile for anti-aging and soothing properties - what more could I ask for? No
wrinkles or redness for me, please.

Perfectly Glossed Kisses,

Sutton

With summer winding down but temperatures still warm-ish, it's the perfect day for this Johnny Was dress. It's summery in its breezy, bohemian lace, and easily made fall-ish with ankle boots - my H by Hudson navy boots happened to the be the perfect complement to the dress's intricate blue embroidery. I'm happy this dress came into my life (we're really happy together) because I used to love Johnny Was aesthetically but think it was a bit too bohemian for my personal style, but now I see how easy it is to transform any piece with your own spin. I love that it's just a tad hippie-ish but instantly feminine-yet-downtown with a belt and boots.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

I love the website PS I Made This. It's jam packed with DIY ideas, from accessories to jewelry
to fashion, this site has it all! They have projects for every level of crafter
and I end up copying a ton of their ideas. So, when I saw their makeup brush
holder, I had to have one of my own and I think you should too!

It was so easy to make - all you need is chalk, a glass and
salt. PS I Made This used regular street chalk, I didn't have any of that at
home, but I did have some soft pastels. (From a semi-unsuccessful attempt at
hair chalking.)

First, I poured the salt onto a plate, PS I Made This shows
that you can just wipe the chalk onto the pile of salt. This did not work with
my soft pastels so I just crumbled the pastel into the salt and mixed it up.

﻿

PS I Made This did an ombré effect with purple chalk - I
chose to use layers of different colors. I started by pouring in plain salt
followed by pink, green, and purple.

After I poured all the salt into the glass I stuck my makeup
brushes into the salt. (I cover most of my brushes with Brush Guards.) Now I can display my makeup brushes in style, much more fun
and practical then hiding them in a drawer!

If you try this DIY, I would love to see pictures! Email me
at SuttonVanB@gmail.com

Follow much?

Our Story

We are Sutton and Astor Van Brigsby. We were born and raised on Park Avenue, a mere hop, skip and 30-second ride with our driver, Morton, from Fifth Avenue. Oh, yes, there was a time when our daily shopping trips were what chick-flick montages were made of – sales assistants scurried at our beck and call, we did lots of twirling in front of fitting room mirrors without spilling our glasses of champagne, and doormen helped Morton help us into the car with stacks of hatboxes – which had shopping bags of clothing and shoes inside of them, because we’re not really into hats. But our designer RTW-filled reality came crashing to a traumatizing end when our father went ballistic one day – WHY we do not know – and cut up our credit cards. Apparently, it bothered him that we had spent his secretary’s annual salary in one trip to Bergdorf. He completely cut us off, I mean stone cold. With the exception of health insurance, cell phone bills, cable and electricity, we are COMPLETELY on our own. Left to our own devices to stay as well dressed as before but on a salary that doesn’t even compare to our past allowance. So, I, Astor, took a job in fashion and Sutton took a job in beauty. It is all we know and love, after all, and we figured that way we would have our bases covered with discounts – what else is a girl to do? If you’re like us, trying to keep a closet stocked with the kind of stuff Bill Cunningham will notice you in on a less-than-desirable salary, join us, won’t you? We’ll support each other, we’ll have cry fests over things we can’t have – and we’ll come up with ways to make the number of those things less and less by hunting sample sales, scouring the internet for discounts and even DIYing up our own versions. We WILL get through this together.